alternate fingerings for the flute : paul koonce's escape tone and the possibilities of notation

7/24/2019 Alternate fingerings for the flute : Paul Koonce's Escape tone and the possibilities of notation

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Electronic Theses and DissertationsUC San Diego

Peer Reviewe d

Title: Alternate finge rings for the flute : Paul Koonce' s Escape tone and the possibilities of notation

Author:Turney, Kimberly

Acceptance Date:2012

Series:UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Degree:Ph. D., UC San Diego

Permalink:http://escholarshi p.org/uc/item/9w52n8vj

Local Identifier:b7349737

Abstract:This dissertation explores the possibilities of the notation system used in Escape tone by PaulKoonce. Alternate fingering sources and systems are discussed and examined, as well as thepossibilities for the use of Koonce's notation system in other works. The Koonce notation system isapplied to Sciarrino's L'Opera per flauto: Fra i testi dedicati alle nubi to see if it is a viable notationsystem for contemporary music

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The Dissertation of Kimberly A. Turney is approved, and is acceptable in

quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically.

Chair

University of California, San Diego

2012


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Signature Page .......................................................................................................... iii

Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... iv

List of Figures ............................................................................................................... v

Vita............................................................................................................................... vii

Abstract of the Dissertation ................................................................................... viii

I. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1

II. Alternate Fingering Sources and Systems ........................................................ 4

III. Koonce Notation ................................................................................................ 11

IV. Application of Koonce Notation .................................................................... 16

V. Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 33


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v

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Yuasa, Reigaku (p. 6, line 8) ................................................................. 1

Figure 2: Saariaho, Laconisme De Lile (Notation Instructions) .................... 2

Figure 3: Saariaho, NoaNoa (p. 3, m. 114-116) ................................................. 2

Figure 4: Artaud, Present Day Flutes (p. 6) ........................................................ 5

Figure 5: Artaud, Present Day Flutes (p. 6) ......................................................... 5

Figure 6: Artaud, Present Day Flutes (p. 49) ....................................................... 6

Figure 7: Pellerite, A Modern Guide to Fingerings for the Flute (p. 54) ........ 7

Figure 8: Dick, The Other Flute (p. vi) .................................................................. 8

Figure 9: Howell, The Avant-Garde Flute (p. 42) ................................................ 8

Figure 10: Dick, The Other Flute (p. 72) .............................................................. 9

Figure 11: Howell, The Avant-Garde Flute (p. 66) ............................................. 9

Figure 12: Koonce, Escape Tone (p. 29) ........................................................... 12

Figure 13: Koonce, Escape Tone (p. 30) .......................................................... 13

Figure 14: Koonce, Escape Tone (p. 28) .......................................................... 15

Figure 15: Dick, The Other Flute (p. 72) ................................................................. 16

Figure 16: Renotation of Figure 15 (the Dick tablature system) ................. 17

Figure 17: Howell, The Avant-Garde Flute (p. 66) ............................................ 17

Figure 18: Renotation of Figure 17 (the Howell tablature system) .............. 18

Figure 19: Renotation of C # line in Koonce matrix .......................................... 18


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VITA

1998 Bachelor of Music, University of Arizona

2005 Master of Fine Arts, California Institute of the Arts

2012 Doctor of Musical Arts, University of California, San Diego


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1

I. Introduction

Altered fingerings are a common occurrence for performers of

contemporary music. They are used in combination with standard

fingerings to produce an array of new sounds. Without these, flutists and

composers would be limited to a narrow vocabulary of standard flute

fingerings and the notes they produce. Altered fingerings are

modifications to standard fingerings used to produce a desired

multiphonic, microtone or timbre. When playing a piece with these

altered fingerings, the performer is required to learn a new set of

fingerings. These fingerings come to the performer in many forms.

Sometimes the composer will provide the fingering within the score, either

near the specific altered note (See Figure 1) or within the instructions for

the piece (See Figure 2). Other times, the performer is left to find the

fingerings themselves using outside sources (See Figure 3).

Figure 1: Yuasa, Reigaku (p. 6, line 8)


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Figure 2: Saariaho, Laconisme De Lile (Notation Instructions)

Figure 3: Saariaho, NoaNoa (p. 3, m. 114-116)

The exact source used to find these fingerings is not always explained in

the score, so the performer must search through the many sources

available in order to find the appropriate fingering. At times this can be a

frustrating and time consuming task. The reason these fingerings are not

committed to memory, as they are in the case of standard fingerings, is

due to the large number (thousands) of possibilities along with the


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infrequency of use. There are a limited number of standard flute fingerings

that performers use from the beginning of their flute playing. Obviously

these are more easily committed to memory.


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II. Altered Fingering Sources and Systems

There are many sources a performer seeks when looking for altered

fingerings. The notation of altered fingerings generally falls into two

categories. These are the number system, which is common in Europe and

the tablature system, which is more commonly used in the United States.

The number system is a notation where each finger is assigned a

specific number. Numbered one though five on each hand, with one

being the thumb, these fingers and numbers obviously correspond to the

keys on the flute. Five on the right hand has a system for the 3 keys that it

uses. It is either referred to as 5, 5 # or 5 . There is no letter or number for

the low B key on the foot joint. Similarly, one on the left hand can be

referred to as 1 or 1 to differentiate between the two keys that it uses.

There are also 3 keys assigned the letters A, B and C (See Figure 4 and

Figure 5).


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Figure 4: Artaud, Present Day Flutes (p. 6)



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When a desired fingering is given, only the depressed numbers and/or

letters are given (See Figure 6) .


This can be quite confusing at times. This method of fingering notation is

illustrated throughout the book Present Day Flutes by Pierre-Yves Artaud.

The tablature system is used by Robert Dick, Thomas Howell and

James Pellerite in their books of altered fingerings. Pellerite uses pictures of

the flute keys to explain the fingering (See Figure 7).


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Figure 7: Pellerite, A Modern Guide to Fingerings for the Flute (p. 54)


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While Dick and Howell use a series of circles to represent fingerings (See

Figure 8 and Figure 9).

Figure 8: Dick, The Other Flute (p. vi)

Figure 9: Howell, The Avant-Garde Flute (p. 42)


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A darkened or filled in circle represents the keys that are to be depressed

(See Figure 10 and Figure 11). This is the method with which I am most

familiar.

Figure 10: Dick, The Other Flute (p. 72)

Figure 11: Howell, The Avant-Garde Flute (p. 66)


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Regardless of which system is used, the performer must write in each

new set of fingerings in the score of the piece they are learning and

reference that fingering instead of using the notated notes of the staff to

derive the fingering. This is what I find to be the most difficult part about

this notation system. The notes within the staff for the desired altered note

give no clue as to the fingering for the desired note, only the resultant

tone/tones to be heard. From an early point in learning to read music

and play an instrument simultaneously, emphasis is put on reading the

notes and knowing the fingerings from memory. Having to write in

fingerings diverts attention away from this process. This can be a

hindrance in the beginning, which slows down the learning process.


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III. Koonce Notation

While studying the piece Escape Tone by Paul Koonce, I met with

the inevitable task of writing in all of the altered fingerings throughout the

piece. Instead of using one of the two methods described above, Koonce

provides a matrix of microtonal fingerings in the back of the score (See

Figure 12 and Figure 13) .


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F i g u r e

1 2 :

K o o n c e ,

E s c a p e

T o n e

( p .

2 9 )


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=

F i g u r e

1 3 :

K o o n c e ,

E s c a p e

T o n e

( p .

3 0 )


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After writing in a few of the fingerings, according to the chart provided, I

started to notice a pattern to the system. This was unlike any notation

system I had seen before. Very quickly I figured out how it worked, which

eliminated the need for me to tediously write in every fingering. After

understanding how the system worked, I was able to identify the desired

fingering by looking at only the notation provided on the staff. Then I

started to wonder why no one else has used this system, when it makes so

much sense. Koonce explains his basis for his notational system within the

score:

Another perspective of the fingerings is to view them asstandard fingerings modified by the opening of one of theirdepressed keys. This key would correspond to the ventdescribed above. This perspective is the basis for thenotational system. In it, a regular notehead designated thestandard fingering and the diamond above it specifies thefingering to be vented ( Escape Tone , p.24).

This system still does not cover all possible fingerings. For this, Koonce

modifies them in a way which is also very clear:

Fingerings which are neither standard nor from the microtonalsegments are created by choosing a nearly identicalfingering from the above sets and modifying it by adding orremoving the appropriate keys. The keys are designatedaccording to the symbols in the flute key legend (See Figure14) below. + and - signify depressing and undepressing

keys, respectively. + and - similarly apply to the G # and D # levers even though the effect on the tone hole is theopposite. A slash through keys 2 through 6 calls for thedepressed rim only ( Escape Tone , p.24).


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Figure 14: Koonce, Escape Tone (p. 28)


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IV. Application of Koonce System

The tablature notation can be more effectively renotated using the

Koonce system. This system eliminates the need for the tablature notation

in general. In Figure 16 and Figure 18 I have applied the Koonce system,

according to the matrix, to the tablature notation examples from above.

A B C D E F G H I

Figure 15: Dick, The Other Flute (p. 72)


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Figure 18: Renotation of Figure 17 (the Howell tablature system)

A key part missing from the Koonce matrix is all of the possible

sounding pitchs that are achievable with each given fingering. Looking at

the C # line (3 rd row of Figure 12), it would be more effective if these

sounding pitchs were provided within the matrix.

Figure 19: Renotation of C # line in Koonce matrix


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F i g u r e

2 0 :

S c

i a r r

i n o ,

L O p

e r a

P e r

F l a u

t o :

F r a

I T e s t

i D e d

i c a

t i A

l l e N u

b i ( p

. 3 1 )


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The number or letter is then written above the notes on the staff (See

Figure 22 and Figure 23) .

Figure 22 : Sciarrino, LOpera Per Flauto: Fra I Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi(p. 32, lines 1-2)

Figure 23 : Sciarrino, LOpera Per Flauto: Fra I Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi(p. 35, line 4)


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This is a highly complicated piece, partly due to the fact that the

performer must memorize these 24 complicated fingerings, which have no

easily recognizable connection to the notes written on the staff. The

performer spends more time looking at the numbers or letters above the

staff than they do the notes on the staff.

My experimentation with applying the Koonce notation system to

the Sciarrino piece proved to be successful, although not without fault in

the beginning. The first realization that I did was not ideal (See Figure 24,

Figure 25 and Figure 26).


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Figure 24: Application of 24 fingerings in Fra I Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi usingKoonce notation


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Figure 25: First application of Koonce notation to Sciarrinos Fra I Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi (p.32, lines 1-2)


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Figure 26: First application of Koonce notation to Sciarrinos Fra I Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi (p. 35, line 4)

The main issue with the first realization is that the notation only shows

notation that indicates what the fingering should be. It is missing the

resultant pitches, and this is crucial to the performer. Without these

resultant tones, the performer does not know precisely what pitch/pitches

are to be produced. Most altered fingerings can produce multiple

pitches; therefore the desired one is the key to accuracy. This is the main

problem with the Koonce fingering matrix. It only shows notation derived

for the desired fingerings, not all of the pitches that are possible with each

of those fingering combinations (See Figure 27).

Figure 27: Koonce, Escape Tone (p. 29)


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This may be due to the fact that Koonces system creates various

possibilities. These choices are another challenge that I encountered while

renotating the Sciarrino piece. There are multiple ways that one could

notate the same desired fingering, especially if there is no exact match

within Koonce s matrix (See Figure 28).


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Figure 28: Altered possibilites for notating the same pitche/fingering

My second realization was an effort to deal with the issues that

arose in the first realization (See Figure 29 and Figure 30).


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Figure 29: Second applicat ion of Koonce notation to Sciarrinos Fra I TestiDedicati Alle Nubi (p.32, lines 1-2)


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Figure 30: Second application of Koonce notation to Sciarrinos Fra I TestiDedicati Alle Nubi (p. 35, line 4)

I included the resultant tones that Sciarrino wants with the Koonce

notation. The end result gives the performer all the information necessary

for the fingerings in one place (See Figure 31).

Figure 31: Excerpt from second application of Koonce notation to Sciarrinos FraI Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi (p.32, line 1)

The performer derives the fingerings from the lower notes and the upper

notes, the results. These two methods combined, Koonce fingering system


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and desired resultant tones, allow the performer to read the music that is

notated on the staff. Instead of purely memorizing an entirely new set of

fingerings for each piece of music, the music can be read more

effectively. This also eliminates the search for fingerings and the tedious

task of writing each one of them in. If this notation system was more widely

used for microtones, multiphonics and altered fingerings, the performers

would become familiar with its workings very quickly. Pedagogically, this

system of notation can make contemporary music more accessible to

players unfamiliar with contemporary music and to people who are new

to the notation of altered fingerings.

This experiment has proven to be a viable option for the notation of

altered fingerings for flute. Sciarrinos Fra I Testi Dedicati Alle Nubi can

effectively be renotated and realized in a more comprehensive way using

the system designed by Koonce. The integration of this system into

compositions for flute would be a significant help to both performers and

composers of new music. This would eliminate the confusion of the

multiple systems that are used for altered fingerings as well as increase the

efficiency of the performer. Although Paul Koonce derived this system of

notation over twenty five years ago, it has yet to be incorporated into the

general notation system of contemporary music. I think that this system is

valuable and should be recognized as a system for notating altered


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fingerings. Whether this is a useful system for all composers to use is still to

be determined. Not all contemporary flute music needs to be renotated

using this system, although some would become more accessible if done

so. This is a subject I will continue to pursue given that I do think that the

Koonce notation system can be very beneficial and should be used by

both performers and composers.


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V. Bibliography

Artaud, Pierre-Yves. Present Day Flutes: Treatise on ContemporaryTechniques of Transverse Flutes for the use of Composers andPerformers. London: Peters Edition Limited, 1995. Print.

Dick, Robert. The Other Flute: A Performance Manual of ContemporaryTechniques. New York, NY: Multiple Breath Music Company, 1989.Print.

Howell, Thomas. The Avant-Garde Flute: A Handbook for Composers andFlutists. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 1974. Print.

Koonce, Paul. Escape Tone. Gainesville, FL: Koonce Edition, 1985. Score.

Pellerite, James A. A Modern Guide to Fingerings for the Flute. Van Nuys,CA: Alfred Publishing Company, 1964. Print.

Saariaho, Kiaja. NoaNoa: For Flute and Electronics . London: ChesterMusic, 1992. Score.

Sciarrino, Salvatore. Laconisme De Lile. Edition Reimers,1983. Score.

______________. LOpera Per Flauto . Milano: BMG Ricordi Music Publishing,1990. Score.

Yuasa, Joji. Reigaku. Japan: Schott, 2002. Score.

alternate fingerings for the flute : paul koonce's escape tone and the possibilities of notation

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